Play #yourpart and help shape the next Council budget

Published: Thursday, 25th October 2018

We have launched the public consultation on the upcoming budget which will be set in February next year.

Between now and the end of January, we are asking members of the public to play their part and contribute their thoughts and ideas, including on what the spending priorities should be, where additional income could be made and how savings could be achieved.

There will also be opportunities at Area Partnership meetings in November and December to play #yourpart in the consultation process.

Councillor Shona Haslam, Leader of SBC

“The financial pressures on the Council are not abating and we continue to have to look very carefully at where we are spending our money, whilst providing high quality services for all our residents, from the youngest to the oldest.

“We are committed to making the most of the opportunities that the Borders has, which means investing carefully and delivering a range of projects that support and enhance services, our towns and villages, so it is not all about cost cutting.

“However, there is no doubt that savings will be required. As far as possible we will minimise the impact on frontline services, but as the years go by and the funding we receive reduces and demand increases tough choices must be made.”

In addition to the general budget consultation, specific mini challenges will be publicised over the coming weeks which will focus on certain services or themes and will outline various options that could affect the budget in different ways.

Councillor Robin Tatler, Executive Member for Finance

“Every year it gets more and more difficult to set a budget that meets our aspirations as Councillors and the public’s demands for the continued and enhanced delivery of services.

“It is vital that people understand that we simply cannot continue to provide all services in the same way or to the same level as before. Wherever we can we are making efficiencies behind the scenes, for example by streamlining services or improving systems to minimise administration, but these areas cannot absorb all the savings that are required.

“It is for that reason that it is vital that we get residents’ views on how frontline services could be changed, improved or delivered differently to help us save money. We want to know what services are priorities for our residents, where they could do without, or with less, or would be happy to pay a little more.

“This is your chance to play #yourpart and help us to maintain services in the long term and continue to deliver vital investment and regeneration in our towns.”

Other ways you can play #yourpart

We are encouraging people to play their part to keep the Borders thriving through the #yourpart campaign. The campaign encourages everyone in the Borders to ‘play their part’ to ensure high quality services can be maintained despite being faced with various challenges. Find out more by visiting our #yourpart webpages and tell us what you're doing by using #yourpart on social media.